


the old gold song of the almost finished year

by Em_Jaye



Series: The Long Way Around [24]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, Plans For The Future, Thanksgiving, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-24
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 17:14:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21541927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Em_Jaye/pseuds/Em_Jaye
Summary: Woody Allen once said, 'If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans." With that in mind, Darcy had to wonder if there was anyone who could make God laugh quite like Steve Rogers.November 1973: Thanksgiving
Relationships: Darcy Lewis/Steve Rogers
Series: The Long Way Around [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1402126
Comments: 86
Kudos: 260





	the old gold song of the almost finished year

**Author's Note:**

> Posting a little early because some people have Thanksgiving plans and I figured it couldn't hurt to set the mood early this year.
> 
> Title is again taken from a Mary Oliver poem, "Fall", and there's a little scene I borrowed from the Matrix (2? I think?) as well.

June and Ray Mitchell had the best kind of house—the kind that was just a little too small to hold all their friends and family. Darcy had fallen in love with it and its residents the first time she’d walked through the door. At the time, she’d only known them as her employers, unbelievably kind people who’d taken pity on her and Steve and helped them by not only giving her a job, but helping them find a place to stay without asking any questions. But as soon as she’d stepped in the door and nervously offered her green bean casserole as thanks for the invitation, she and Steve had both become family and she remembered pausing in the foyer, almost overwhelmed by the sounds and smells and warmth of their little two-bedroom bungalow. She’d placed a hand on the brown and yellow patterned wallpaper as if feeling for heartbeat; there was so much love and life just inside the front door, she could almost feel it in the walls.

The kitchen was the largest room in the house, and where Darcy had spent most of her time each of the four Thanksgivings she and Steve had attended. She looked up from her place at the small table where she’d been finishing her casserole as Tangie reached over and helped herself to a pinch of grated cheddar cheese. “Hey,” she brushed her away with a laugh. “It took me way too long to shred this for you to steal it.”

June’s two daughters were both home for the holiday weekend and working on assembling an impressive amount of stuffing, their heads bent together, chopping onions and celery in the opposite corner. Rachel, the younger of the two, looked over her shoulder with a grin. “When Mom said you guys weren’t working at the diner anymore, I was worried that meant you wouldn’t be around for Thanksgiving this year.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” June asked over the whirl of her hand-mixer. “You don’t work at the diner anymore,” she reminded Rachel. “You’re still expected at the table every year.”

Darcy grinned and looked from Rachel to June. “Mildly different relationship, Junie,” she reminded before the mixer stopped.

“Not to me,” came the reply before Darcy felt a kiss on the top of her head. June moved past her to kiss Tangie and then Rachel and finally her oldest daughter, Carla. “I love all my girls,” she said simply before she turned back to the table, where Tangie had reached for another pinch of shredded cheddar. “And if you two thought that some fancy new job was going to get you out of family dinners, I’m afraid I have bad news for you.”

“It’s hardly a _fancy_ new job,” Tangie said, laughing when Darcy smacked her fingers again. “But speaking of all your girls,” she glanced back over her shoulder towards the front door. “Where is Linda? I thought she was supposed to be here by now.”

June looked at her watch and shrugged. “She’s got three children to get out of the house on her own,” she reminded. “It’s a miracle she’s not late for everything.” Linda was not a single mother, but with a husband on the police force who frequently worked nights and holidays, it felt like it most of the time.

“Mmm,” Tangie nodded her understanding and sipped at the straw in her can of Coke before her eyes lit up and she turned back again. “On the topic of children,” she said, taking Darcy by surprise. “Can you and Steve please just make a sweet baby already?”

If she’d been drinking anything, she would have spit it out. As it was, she managed to choke on the air she sucked in at Tangie’s suggestion. “I’m sorry,” she coughed and placed a hand to her chest. “Why would you say something like that?”

Tangie grinned. “Because I want a little vanilla bean to spoil and grow up thinking Auntie Tangie’s the coolest.”

“You’re out of control,” Darcy said plainly. “What is in that soda you’ve been drinking? Actual cocaine?”

“Oh, come on…” she whined.

“You _already_ have three nephews who think Auntie Tangie is the coolest,” she said pointedly.

But Tangie only pouted. “Yeah, but they’re my brother’s kids and he moved them to Cleveland and I don’t like him.” From where she’d returned to her mashed potatoes, June snorted a laugh. “Junie, you know I’m right—tell her what a cute little mama she’d be.”

Darcy pointed at their former boss. “Do _not_ tell me that, Junie. Do not agree with her. She’s out of her mind.”

“I wasn’t going to,” June said mildly, turning around to lean against the counter. “Call me old-fashioned, but I’d prefer he put a ring on that finger before any—” she paused. “How did you put it, Tangie?”

“Vanilla beans,” Tangie supplied, beaming.

“Right,” June nodded. “He can put a ring on that finger before you bring any vanilla beans into the world.”

Shaking her head in disbelief, Darcy held up three fingers to June and rotated to show Tangie. “Three months, guys,” she reminded. “We have only been together for three months.”

“Three _years_ and three months,” Carla commented, smiling when she glanced over from her chopped parsley.

“Carla!” Darcy threw up her hands.

“What?” Carla laughed alongside her sister. “It’s not my fault you two didn’t know you were in a relationship for the last three years.”

“You guys are insane and I’m not talking about this anymore,” Darcy said firmly, hoping that no one’s voice had carried far enough for Steve’s enhanced hearing to be listening.

June squeezed her shoulder on her way to the refrigerator. “We’re just teasing you, honey,” she said fondly.

“I’m not!” Tangie laughed.

“Neither am I,” Carla added. “You two were idiots,” she shook her head, still chuckling. “It was incredibly frustrating to watch—even once a year.”

“Well, thank you,” Darcy griped and finished sprinkling the cheese over the casserole dish—using just a little extra so there was none left for Tangie to take out of spite. “That’s been noted.”

“Junie, my bride,” Ray popped his head around the doorway. “Linda’s here.”

They heard Linda’s children before they saw them. A compact hurricane of heavy footfall and rustling winter coats, chatter and arguments and giggles and making so much noise that by the time she’d made her way to the foyer to greet them, Darcy was almost surprised that there were still only three. Linda’s ten-year-old son Dylan was the quieter of the trio, offering her a shy smile and wave, only to be plowed over by the seven-year-old twins, Lisa and Lauren who each took hold of one hand and started talking at once.

“Darcy! Hi! We miss you!”

“Mommy said you got a new job!”

“Tangie too!”

“Is Tangie here?”

“We miss her too.”

“How come you’re not a waitress like Mommy anymore?”

“Did you bring Steve with you?”

“Will he pick us up again?”

“Girls!” Linda, just getting in the door, raised her voice over their din and shook her head. “Let her breathe.”

Darcy took the breath she was allowed and tried to sort through all the questions she’d just had lobbed her way. She’d always liked Linda’s kids; they spent plenty of time at the diner, usually playing in one of the back booths while they waited for their mother to finish up. The girls had taken a particular shine to Darcy and decided they adored Steve when he’d entertained them at Passover by proving he could lift them both high off the ground with one arm. They had shrieked with laughter, distracted enough for Dylan to find the afikomen by himself and not have to share his candy, and demanded Steve pick them up again and again until Linda had finally made them stop.

Not that Darcy had thought about that since April. Because she definitely hadn’t.

She crouched to be at eye-level with the two girls. “I missed you guys too,” she said genuinely. “You have so much to tell me! What grade are you in now?”

“Second,” Lauren said proudly. “Lisa lost a tooth last week.”

“Lauren didn’t,” Lisa added. “Did Tangie come for dinner today?”

“And Steve?” Lauren asked. “Did you bring Steve?”

Darcy smothered a smile at how they asked about Steve like he was a puppy she might have left at home. “Tangie’s helping June in the kitchen—”

“No, Tangie’s here!” she called, scurrying out from behind Darcy and letting the girls swarm her for a hug.

“Right,” Darcy amended her statement with another nod. “Tangie’s here and Steve is…” she looked over her shoulder. “Last time I saw him he was helping set up in the dining room.”

As if on cue, the man in question appeared in the doorway to her right. “Somebody say my name?” he asked, putting to rest Darcy’s worries that he might have overheard their kitchen conversation. The girls promptly dropped Darcy’s hands to run to mob Steve instead.

Linda took the opportunity to wrap Darcy in a quick hug, followed by Tangie. “Sorry about that,” she said, shrugging out of her coat. She ran a hand through her long blonde hair and shook her head. “They were just really excited.”

Darcy grinned. “It’s fine. I’ve missed you guys.”

“We missed you too,” Linda said, shooting another apologetic glance in Steve’s direction. “Clearly.”

“Pick us up!” Lisa cried, tugging on Steve’s hand. “Please?”

“Pretty please?” her sister added, turning up the volume on her wide brown eyes.

“Pick you up?” Steve echoed with a laugh as he clapped his hands to his knees to be at their level. “You two have gotten _so big_ since the last time I saw you…” he shook his head in mock disbelief. “I think you should be picking _me_ up.”

“We can’t pick you up!” Lauren exclaimed.

“You’re too big!”

“No,” he scoffed. “I bet you could—especially if you tried together.”

Darcy watched, amused, as Lisa nudged her sister. “We could _try_ , Laur,” she said quietly. “We could do it.”

“Count to three?” Lauren asked as, without discussion, they each flanked one of Steve’s legs and bent to wrap their arms around his calves.

They were too busy looking at each other, daring each other with excitement to notice that Steve had grabbed onto the door frame above his head. “One-two-three!” Lisa yelled before they each hugged a knee and lifted with all their might.

He pulled himself up easily, lifting a foot off the ground, and making the girls squeal with delight. He waited until they made a move to let him go before he lowered himself from the doorframe. “Look how strong you are!” he laughed before the three of them exchanged a round of high fives.

She didn’t realized she was staring until Steve glanced up and met her eyes. He shot her a quick smile before he refocused his attention on the girls telling him all about their upcoming Christmas pageant.

Hoping she’d hid the way her insides had just turned to jelly, Darcy looked away from them to find Tangie staring directly at her, wide-eyed. Assuring her that no, in fact, she hadn’t hidden anything. “Don’t start,” she muttered, grabbing her friends and steering them back to the kitchen.

“No, ma’am, I did not start that,” Tangie insisted, matching Darcy’s low tone. “ _He_ started that. And don’t you be acting like you don’t want to finish it _right now._ I saw you.”

“She’s right” Linda chimed in, looking amused. “I know that look,” she added before she called over her shoulder. “Girls! Come say hi to Junie.”

***

Steve’s hand stilled over her ribcage, his fingertips just brushing the underside of her breast when he pulled back from her lips and studied her face in the dark.

She frowned and shifted beneath him. “What’s wrong?” she asked a little breathlessly.

“That’s…what I’m trying to figure out,” Steve said slowly before he pushed himself up on one arm. “Are you okay?”

She squirmed and nodded. “I’m fine,” she said, telling herself that was mostly true. She’d be totally fine if she could shut off her brain and if Steve would put his hand back under her shirt.

He didn’t look convinced. “You don’t seem too into this,” he admitted, glancing between them. “What’s going on?”

“No,” she said a little too quickly and shook her head. “I’m totally into this.” She reached for his face to pull him down for another kiss. A kiss, she was hoping, that would silence her overactive brain and let her enjoy the weight of Steve on top of her and help her think about something else for a while.

But Steve pulled away a second time and shook his head. “Darcy,” he looked down at her with a serious expression. Mostly curious, a little worried, a little insecure. “Where are you right now?”

“I’m…here,” she insisted half-heartedly, disappointed but not surprised when Steve dropped a quick kiss to her lips and moved so he was laying beside her instead. She sighed and put a hand over her face. “I’m sorry.”

He pulled her hand gently away from her eyes and pushed her hair away from her face. “What are you sorry about?”

She steeled herself with a deep breath. It was still _Steve_ she was talking to, she reminded herself. Still her best friend, even if he was more than that too. “I’m kind of freaking out,” she admitted before she backtracked. “No, wait. Not freaking out. Just…overthinking. Way overthinking. Considering I wasn’t thinking about this thing _at all_ before and now it’s all my brain wants to think about, like it’s trying to make up for lost time and—” she paused when she realized that Steve was smiling again. “What?”

“Do you want to have a baby, Darcy?”

Her eyes widened. “What? No?” she said, too fast again. “Were you eavesdropping?”

He laughed softly. “Not intentionally,” he said, and she believed him. “Tange doesn’t exactly have an indoor voice.” He reached over and played with a lock of her hair again. “But you’re telling me this overthinking doesn’t have anything to do with what you were talking about at June’s today?”

She bit her lip. “Maybe?” Steve smiled again as she rushed on. “I don’t know. I’ve never…” she paused again. “It’s been kind of a crazy few years, right?”

He nodded. “Understatement.”

“I just…never thought about it one way or the other because there was always just so much going on and it didn’t seem like—”

“Like there was any sense in planning for the future when the world could end at any minute,” he finished her thought for her.

Darcy felt the knot in her stomach unclench. “Yeah,” she breathed. “Or because I had a whole bunch of other stuff that I had to do before I could think about it. Non-alien-fighting, god-chasing things. Like…y’know. Graduate and get a real job and figure out what I’m good at and find a guy I could maybe stand for more than a few weeks—”

Steve’s brow furrowed. “How’re we doing on that last one?”

She nudged her toes against his shin beneath the covers. “That’s my point, dweeb,” she rolled to her side, feeling comfortable enough to face him again. “It just kind of…hit me all at once that this was…something that I _could_ consider. If I wanted to. And all of a sudden it didn’t seem like the worst thing in the world…” she cleared her throat and shook her head. “Not like, tomorrow. Or even…I don’t know… next _year_ or the year after.”

“But…someday?” he prompted gently.

“Maybe?” she said again, uncertainly, unable to wait for his reaction before she tumbled on. “But I understand if you wouldn’t want to or think that it’s crazy that we’re even talking about this because we really only _have_ been together for three months but—” the rest of her rambling faded from the tip of her tongue when Steve closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers.

“Darcy,” he said quietly, when he pulled away. He let the backs of his fingers brush her cheek. “I’ll be honest with you. Thinking about kids and planning for the future isn’t something I’ve done in a _very_ long time.” She opened her mouth to respond, to tell him that was fine and she didn’t expect anything from him, but he went on before she could speak. “But I’ve seen the worst things in the world. I’ve seen the worst things in a lot of worlds.” He smiled again, softer than before. “And the idea of having a baby with you? Nowhere near the worst thing—in this or any other world.”

The last anxious twisting of her stomach relaxed and Darcy leaned over to kiss him. His arms went easily around her, pulling her close as her lips parted beneath his and she hitched her leg up and over his hip. “Not tomorrow,” she said, pulling back to check for clarification. “Not for awhile.”

Steve smiled. “Not for awhile,” he repeated and pulled her back to kiss her again.

**Author's Note:**

> Is it my favoritest fic of all my fics? No, it is not. But I'm feeling pretty lonely this holiday and miss the days I had a kitchen full of friends and sisters and cousins to tease me about my love life so I gave that to Darcy instead. 
> 
> Wishing you all a Thanksgiving that is full of food and family, and if you celebrate anything in December, I hope the beginning of this upcoming holiday season is kind to you. 
> 
> <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 
> 
> Come play with me on tumblr: @idontgettechnology and join me at ishipitpod.com for weekly podcast on fandom and fanfic by yours truly.
> 
> *kisses*


End file.
